We will be doing a session on the “Making of” Mumbai Confidential at Bangalore Comic-con and the artists (Vivek, Vinay and Devaki) will be on a signing on June 2nd. I will be “dialing in” for the interactive session about why and how we created Mumbai Confidential and the artists will be there in person. This will be followed by a short Q&A session with the audience.

The session will be followed after a short break by a signing at the Pop Culture Publishing booth (A23) on the convention floor. Vivek, Vinay and Devaki will be signing copies and giving free sketches to all who purchase a copy.

MC was a labor of love for both Vivek and me. We set out to create the “best goddamn comic book” we could, and poured our heart into it. Now as I look back over the four long years it took to finally reach this stage, I can’t but feel a little bit proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve managed to put out a book that is (for all intents and purposes) the first “Indian” crime-noir comic book. We couldn’t have done this without the support of our fans, friends and family. Industry veterans like Mike Carey, David Lloyd, and Bart Sears (to name a few) encouraged us with feedback and comments. I’m especially indebted to my mentor and friend Ron Marz for supporting the MC project with his kind attention and feedback from day one. (Ron also provided the foreword for the hardcover edition). Both Vivek and I would like to thank Gotham Chopra, Arnab Ray, Samit Basu, and Anupam Sinha for taking the time to write the forewords for the digital issues that ran from July 2012 to Feb 2013 on ComiXology.

A hearty round of thanks also goes out to Sid Kotian, Mohan Prabhu, Devaki Neogi, Saumin Patel, Shounak Jog, and Vinay Brahmania for doing the Mumbai Confidential interludes (backup shorts) that are also collected in the the hardcover volume.

In many ways, MC was an experiment – an attempt at blending the universal sensibilities of noir with a fresh and unique setting (the genre born out of this fusion is sometimes referred to as “Mumbai Noir”). So it was a great kicker of a moment for both Vivek and me, when the acknowledged grandmaster of this genre – Anurag Kashyap invited us to meet him at Sundance 2013. He even tweeted about MC later.

On 14th May, 2013 MC debuted at #9 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases list for Graphic Novels/Mystery (rubbing shoulders with CRIMINAL, FATALE, FROM HELL and few other choice classics).

I love a book that comes out of left field and just floors you. For me that was MUMBAI CONFIDENTIAL. A gritty cop story that doesn’t look like anything else on shelves, Mumbai Confidential is a stunningly good book.

I found myself not just sucked in, but sucked in so much I had to complete it in one day. It’s look, characters and voice is something unique in the comic industry. Here’s hoping folks are willing to take a chance on this gem.

I try not to throw the word “classic” around that much when I write my comic book reviews. Who can know what will stand the test of time and become a book that people will look back on and consider a defining work in graphic literature?

But this once, I have to make an exception.

Mumbai Confidential is flat out brilliant, an instant classic that when people want to read a perfect example of noir storytelling in comics, this is the book they will look for.

If you haven’t preordered yet, please do book your copy on Amazon or FlipKart (India). Also do spread the word about MC and follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter for latest news/updates etc. We look forward to hearing from you.

Now, onwards to the buzz around Mumbai Confidential on the wild wild web:

First off, Anurag Kashyap (whose body of work was a big influence on Vivek and me in creating Mumbai Confidential) tweeted about MC. Thank you, sir! Coming from you, it’s high honors for both of us.

It reads like a sub-continental version of Sin City and has all the best elements of classic crime noir, with twists, turns, violence and corruption, all played out in the grimy, monsoon ridden streets of Mumbai and the glamour of Bollywood instead of downtown LA and the Hollywood Hills. [read the whole review] [read the interview]

Archaia is known for backing some of the prettiest ponies in the comics business, and they found a fine looking stallion in MUMBAI. Shinde’s watercolor artwork gives the story a dreamlike quality, even when the blood is cascading out of bullet holes. The colors and varying sharpness of each panel add dimensions to Kadam’s struggle with depression and his fight to do at least one thing right. MUMBAI CONFIDENTIAL is an amazing story particularly since every page shows that Mohapatra and Shinde were made to tell it together. Here’s hoping we see more from this team, for there are undoubtedly more tales to tell from the streets of Mumbai.

Read the full review here and an earlier review of issues 1 and 2 that Avril did is here. You can also check out other reviews and articles about Mumbai Confidential here.

At long last, it’s finally happening. Just finalized the page lineup for the print hardcover version of Mumbai Confidential vol 1 “Good Cop, Bad Cop”, 144 pages chock-a-full of hardboiled goodness 🙂 We’ll be doing a final round of edits and sending that over to the printers in a week or so. Remember, the print version from Archaia hits the stands in Feb/March 2013. Meanwhile you can buy the “Digital First” editions at ComiXology store for iOS, Android and Web.

Fanboy Confidential posted a review of MC issues #1 and #2. They had good things to say about the book, and particularly for Vivek’s spectacular art. You can read the reviews here:

And, last but not the least, just for kicks we created some posters for some fake “in-universe” movies featured in the book. I can’t give away the details (you’ll have to buy and read the book for that), but part of the story deals with an over-the-hill Bollywood actor who stars in movies with titles like “Gunda Coolie”,”Looteron ki Raftar”, “Inspector Hathoda”, “Bhaktiman”, “Bhaktiman Returns” and of course, the one you see below, “GUNDA DAROGA”. 🙂 So I took some of Vivek’s interior art and tried to come up with a poster for it. Hope you like it. Writing these scenes was kind of a nice change of pace from the hardboiled gritty/grim main story of the book.

Till next time…

cheers,
mohaps

Mumbai Confidential is a crime-noir comic book created by Saurav Mohapatra and Vivek Shinde. It’s now available digitally at ComiXology and the print hardcover edition from Archaia will be available in March 2013.

Also, just a reminder that issue #4 of Mumbai Confidential will be online at ComiXology first week of October. You can buy issue #1-#3 from ComiXology for your iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire and Web reading pleasure at http://bit.ly/mcfull.

The dark plot is threaded with hope and humor, the art is hauntingly beautiful and the seamless union of the two will ensure MUMBAI CONFIDENTIAL deserves the hype it will undoubtedly garner.[full review]

Mumbai Confidential #2 is a powerful book with great dialogue and compelling imagery. It’s one you should not miss[full review]

and, before we leave… a sneak peak at the cover of Mumbai Confidential #5 (inspired by the hand painted retro film posters of Bollywood of yesteryear) 🙂

Do check us out on Facebook and Twitter for the latest and greatest on the news front, and sneak peeks, previews and concept art galore. 🙂

Mumbai confidential “Digital First” editions are now available for purchase at ComiXology for iOS, Android and Web. Mumbai Confidential #3 will be online and available for purchase first week of September.